Shooting Covid-19: Media Frontliners in Manila

“My orders are
to the police and military,

also the village officials,

that if the situation arises
that people fight

and your lives are on the line,

shoot them dead!”

To be honest, if it’s possible
to just stay at home, I would,

instead of going out to shoot.

But, under the current situation,

information is being controlled
by a few.

If there is no alternative media

there will be no checks
and balances.

That’s why we’re going out
of our homes

to know the stories
that are not being followed

by big media corporations.

"Media personnel shall be allowed

to travel within the quarantine area

provided that within 72 hours

from the issuance
of this memorandum

media personnel intending
to travel within the quarantine area

shall secure an identification card

from the Presidential Communications
Operations Office."

Actually, it’s preposterous that one needs
to get accreditation from them.

Does this mean they exclusively get
to choose which media outfit can operate?

But despite our protest

we still filed for accreditation.

We are still waiting for it until now.

Before we went there

somebody texted us that
security was strict in the area

due to a positive Covid case.

In turn, we discussed whether
we should proceed to the area or not.

We decided to proceed
despite our anxieties.

We are also concerned with
our safety and health.

JL: Do you have any message
to the government?

Estrelita: We are calling for continued
support to our community kitchen.

It is for all the people in the community.

We will not die from the disease,
but we might die from hunger

if we can’t eat three times a day.

Woman 1: We are going around

Let’s do social distancing!

Woman 2: You are overcrowding!

Boy: Give us some biscuits!

JL: I think the major weakness
of the government,

compared to other countries,

...

is the lack of mass testing.

It’s as if people were put in jails not knowing
if the disease is inside with them.

Quarantine won’t serve its purpose
without any testing.

I belong to the middle class,

but I am a freelancer.

My income depends
on my production.

EngageMedia: What is that?

JL: Relief goods from the barangay.

That is my predicament.

But within a month, I only received
a relief pack just once.

There are about 15
or 14 canned goods.

I just hope those who are impoverished
receive more than once a month.

During a lockdown like this,
you are inside your home,

not just me, but most of my friends

and fellow artists,

most are stuck at home,

you surmise the positive things
that arise despite the lockdown.

One positive thing is the emergence
of artworks that are socially relevant

both in form and content.

I belong to a group,
the Asian People’s Music.

It is a group of progressive musicians
from countries that belong to the ASEAN.

Joseph, a Filipino musician
who is also part of the group,

and a member of the band
Village Idiots,

composed a song,
and here it is:

♫ When this is over ♫

♫ Is it back to normal? ♫

When you go out of your house

what you see in the streets
are people holding a cardboard,

some banners stating
“we are hungry,”

"no mask, no entry,"
those are the images you see.

Texts written on cardboards, paper,
or whatever is available.

Based on what I saw I had an idea:
Why not write some lyrics

the same way as those images?

That’s what we did,
and the musicians were okay with it.

♫ When this is over ♫

♫ Are we going back to the familiar? ♫

♫ To a violent way of life ♫

♫ Full of fear and dread ♫

♫ We will straighten wayward roads ♫

♫ Shout out our calls ♫

♫ A better society ♫

♫ When this is over ♫

We are raising a question in that song.

The lyrics say when this is over,
do we simply leave things as they are?

We are raising this question because

this crisis exposed
the kind of society we have.

The government will feel
the wrath of the people

if the situation remains the same.

And we think, or at least
I personally do think,

the situation should change,
and that we need to make a stand.

♫ A better society when this is over ♫

♫ We will rise when this is over ♫